The 3dsmax plugins allow rif files to be imported and exported form 3dsmax. The import/export process doesn’t preserve all of the information that appears in rif files. Currently it should preserve texturing, hard-edging (equivalent to smoothing groups), and polygon flags , as well as the basic mesh. The process doesn’t preserve texture animation or morphing (used to create doors) however.

There are two special shapes used by the import/export processes – hudson and nucleus. Hudson is a shape (called ‘hudson’) that is used for working out the scale to be used. When rif file is exported the height everything is scaled so that the height of hudson is equivalent to 2 meters.

Nucleus should be a dummy object (called ‘nucleus'.). It is used for defining the origin (point 0,0,0) in the rif file. Its position is most important for hierarchical animations, where it generally has to be placed at the feet. For levels its position doesn’t really matter, but it should be placed somewhere near the shapes that make up the level.

The rif files label the axes in a different way from 3dsmax. They are labeled in the following way:

                Rif                              3dsmax

X             Right                            Right

Y             Down                           Forwards

Z              Forwards                     Up

 

The import and export plugins will convert between the two ways of labeling the axes, but it is useful to know that the y direction in max is not the same as the y direction in the tools.